I recently got married for the first time at the not-so-tender age of 46. Prior to marriage, my husband, who is 52 and suffers from arthritis and hip problems, owned a (really) cheap inflatable mattress, while I owned a TempurPedic but in a full size (too small for the two of us). We decided that our first purchase as husband and wife would be a new bed. My husband's Mom told us she had purchased a Select Comfort and was quite happy with it, so we decided to investigate this as an option.

After trying the various models at a Select Comfort store I discovered that the 7000 model was the right "fit" for me. I felt that I could experience the benefits of the air mattress (the mattress conforms to your lower back and spine) but with some added padding and cushioning which makes the bed feel more comfortable and luxurious. To my delight hubby concurred.

We paid $1784 for a queen mattress (we did not buy a foundation as our bed frame has slats to support the mattress, and our salesperson said we therefore didn't need the foundation). This was a special price they offered only to those who previously had purchased an SC mattress, but nonetheless we were able to get the special price. We opted for free delivery as my engineer husband felt he could assemble the bed himself.

The bed arrived just a few days after it was ordered, and I conveniently wasn't home when hubby constructed it (honest, I didn't just sneak out to avoid helping, but had a legitimate reason not be there :)). He later reported that it was not hard to assemble, but a bit time consuming.

We are in the process of consolidating two households into one single new home, and so I've only slept on the bed intermittently since it has been up and running, often returning to my old home where the TempurPedic is still located.

I have always liked my TempurPedic, though have always found it a bit odd that the mattress is much harder in the winter when the weather is cold (or, should I say a bit colder as we live in warm So. Cal.) and much softer in the warm summer months. But overall I have found the TempurPedic to offer good support and comfort.

The SC 7000, however, is in my opinion much more comfortable. I nestle into the this wonderful, supportive mattress. It's great to have good support and amazing comfort in one mattress. I am still experimenting in finding the perfect sleep number but thus far I've found I like something in the 40 range. My husband shares the same opinion about the mattress but I think his preferred sleep number is a bit higher.

I would guess that finding the perfect sleep number is *more* important with less expensive models of the SC bed as you are sleeping closer to the air bladders themselves, but with the 7000 and its abundant padding I've found that the mattress doesn't feel too firm or hard even at the highest settings.

Both my husband and I have experienced less tossing and turning sleeping on this bed, and the hubba-dubba reports that he has less hip pain when he awakens after sleeping on it. Is this a placebo effect? I doubt it as this mattress *really* is that comfortable.

I should disclose that there has definitely been an odor associated with this mattress which I attribute to the foam. For us it has NOT been as annoying as some commentators have mentioned, but it is there albeit dissipating with time.

I should also mention that we purchased an SC mattress pad (I think it was about $200- ouch!) which has a layer of memory foam. We did this because at the time we purchased the mattress I was concerned about giving up my TempurPedic memory foam and thought this might be a good concession. It definitely adds yet another layer of padding but in truth I think a less expensive pad would have been just fine. The 7000 offers enough padding without this additional layer although we are keeping the mattress pad.

In short, at this point both my husband and I are delighted with the mattress. Every time we climb in bed (hey, we're newlyweds so we climb in bed a lot!) we discuss how great it is. I feel that it *is* more comfortable than my TempurPedic, and it truly feels like a luxurious treat to sleep on something which cradles my back and spine in this way. Yes, it was expensive, but thus far I think it has been worth every penny!

Recommended: Yes

Mattress Size: Queen
Amount Paid (US$): 1784.00